Former Boxing Champion Edwin Valero Killed Himself in Jail

Former champion Edwin Valero, who had a spectacular career with 27 consecutive knockouts and had a tattoo of Venezuela President Hugo Chavez on his chest, hanged himself in his jail cell Monday after being arrested on suspicion of stabbing his wife to death, police said.

The former lightweight champion used the sweatpants he was wearing to hang himself from a bar in the cell, said his lawyer, Milda Mora.
Valero, 28, had problems with alcohol and cocaine addiction and struggled with depression. He previously had been suspected of assaulting his wife and was charged last month with harassing her and threatening personnel at a hospital where she was treated for injuries.

Valero's wife, Jennifer Carolina Viera, 24, was found dead in a hotel room in Valencia, Venezuela, on Sunday. Police said the fighter emerged from the room telling hotel security he had killed her. Previous reports said Viera was 20 years old.